Research Feed

A curated collection of research papers and articles exploring the Big Five personality traits.

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Big-Five personality traits and dream experiences: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Marin et al. · Dreaming · January 2026

This meta-analysis of over 65,000 participants confirms that Big Five traits significantly shape our nocturnal experiences. Neuroticism is the primary predictor of nightmare frequency and emotional distress, while Openness correlates with high dream recall, vividness, and lucid dreaming. Extraver...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Neuroticism
Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training program
Ronca et al. · Front. Psychol · July 2025

This study highlights that core personality traits are powerful predictors of baseline fitness and the specific exercise intensities individuals enjoy. Notably, participants scoring high in Neuroticism experienced the most significant stress-reduction benefits from aerobic training, suggesting a ...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Linking Big Five personality traits to components of diet: A meta-analytic review
Allen et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2025

This large-scale meta-analysis of over 150,000 participants explores how the Big Five traits influence dietary habits. Researchers found that lower Neuroticism and higher levels of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Agreeableness consistently predict a healthier diet. These traits aff...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Neuroticism
The Relationship Between Big Five Personality Traits and Sleep Patterns: A Systematic Review
Guerreiro et al. · Nature and science of sleep · March 2024

This systematic review of 58,812 participants demonstrates that Big Five personality traits significantly influence sleep. High Neuroticism consistently correlates with poor sleep quality and disturbances, while Conscientiousness is a strong predictor of 'morningness' and better sleep hygiene. Th...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Universals and Variations in Musical Preferences: A Study of Preferential Reactions to Western Music in 53 Countries
Greenberg et al. · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Personality Processes and Individual Differences · January 2022

This massive study of over 350,000 people across six continents reveals that preferences for Western music follow universal patterns that transcend cultural boundaries. By analyzing both genre favorability and direct audio reactions, researchers identified five consistent latent factors of musica...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
How personality and policy predict pandemic behavior: Understanding sheltering-in-place in 55 countries at the onset of COVID-19
Gotz et al. · American Psychologist · January 2021

Applying a Lewinian interactionist framework, this study examined how both government policy and personality traits influenced sheltering-in-place behavior across 54 countries. Researchers found that while strict government policies effectively increased compliance, individual personality traits ...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Agreeableness Neuroticism
Just the Way You Are: Linking Music Listening on Spotify and Personality
Anderson et al. · Social Psychological and Personality Science · January 2021

This study leverages massive streaming data from Spotify to demonstrate that musical preferences are a powerful window into personality. By analyzing millions of songs and over 200 behavioral metrics, researchers used machine learning to predict Big Five traits with high accuracy. The findings ch...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Personality and parenting
Prinzie et al. · Handbook of parenting: Being and becoming a parent · January 2019

This chapter offers a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence linking personality to parenting. It begins by establishing the core concepts within personality psychology and parenting research, then transitions into a detailed review of how specific traits ...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Extraversion Neuroticism
Personality and sleep quality: Evidence from four prospective studies
Stephan et al. · Health Psychology · January 2018

This large-scale longitudinal study involving over 22,000 adults demonstrates a powerful, bidirectional relationship between personality and sleep quality. Lower Neuroticism and higher Extraversion were the strongest predictors of better sleep, often outweighing demographic factors. Conversely, l...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness
Maternal personality and psychopathology as determinants of parenting behavior: A quantitative integration of two parenting literatures
McCabe · Psychological Bulletin · January 2014

This meta-analysis demonstrates that maternal personality and psychopathology are deeply interconnected determinants of parenting. Mothers with high Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness, alongside low Neuroticism and psychopathology, consistently exhibited more adaptive warmth and c...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
The relations between parents' Big Five personality factors and parenting: a meta-analytic review
Prinzie et al. · Journal of personality and social psychology · January 2009

A meta-analysis of nearly 6,000 parent-child dyads indicates that a parent’s personality serves as a significant resource for their caregiving style. Higher levels of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness correlate with increased warmth and behavioral control. Furthermore, ...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Neuroticism
Personality correlates of physical activity: a review and meta-analysis
Rhodes & Smith · British journal of sports medicine · January 2006

A meta-analysis of studies spanning nearly four decades identifies Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism as the primary personality drivers of physical activity. Specifically, individuals who are more outgoing and disciplined tend to exercise more, while those higher in emotional insta...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Personality and the Prediction of Consequential Outcomes
Ozer & Benet · Annual Review of Psychology · January 2006

The Big Five personality factors serve as powerful heuristics for predicting outcomes across multiple life domains. At the individual level, traits are linked to health, happiness, and identity. Interpersonally, they shape the quality of family and romantic relationships. Finally, at the institut...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Agreeableness
Delinquent Behavior and the Five-Factor Model: Hiding in the Adaptive Landscape? <i>Individual Differences Research</i>, 2(1), 38-62
Wiebe · Individual Differences Research · January 2004

This study questions whether the Five-Factor Model fully captures traits relevant to criminal behavior. It finds that only agreeableness and conscientiousness consistently predict offending, while additional criminogenic traits (such as deception and self-deception) add substantial explanatory po...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness
Personalizing Politics: A Congruency Model of Political Preference
Caparara & Zimbardo · American Psychologist · January 2004

This research explores the 'personalization' of modern politics, where the individual traits of both voters and candidates drive political choice. The authors propose a congruency model, finding that voters prefer candidates whose personalities align with party ideology or mirror their own traits...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness and Health-Related Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis of the Leading Behavioral Contributors to Mortality
Bogg & Roberts · Psychological Bulletin · January 2004

This meta-analysis explains why Conscientiousness is such a powerful predictor of a long life. By reviewing nearly 200 studies, researchers found that highly conscientious people consistently avoid risky behaviors (such as tobacco use, excessive drinking, and reckless driving) while actively enga...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Neuroticism
Intergenerational Relationships in Young Adulthood and Their Life Course, Mental Health, and Personality Correlates
Belsky et al. · Journal of Family Psychology · January 2003

This study examines how life milestones and personality traits affect relationships between 26-year-olds and their parents. Relationships tend to be more positive when young adults are married, employed, and living independently. However, personality plays a distinct role: higher levels of negati...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Agreeableness
Structural Models of Personality and Their Relation To Antisocial Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review
Miller & Lynam · Criminology · January 2001

This meta-analysis of 59 studies demonstrates that personality research provides a powerful lens for understanding criminology. By comparing four major structural models—PEN, the three-factor model, the FFM, and the seven-factor model—the authors found that antisocial behavior consistently correl...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness Neuroticism
Altruism and antisocial behavior: Independent tendencies, unique personality correlates, distinct etiologies
Krueger et al. · Psychological Science · January 2001

This research clarifies that altruism and antisocial behavior are independent dimensions rather than opposite ends of one spectrum. Altruism is primarily shaped by familial environments and positive emotionality, while antisocial behavior stems from genetics and negative emotionality combined wit...

RESEARCH
Conscientiousness
Personality and performance at the beginning of the new millennium: What do we know and where do we go next? <i>International Journal of Selection and Assessment</i>, 9(1-2), 9-30
Barrick et al. · International Journal of Selection and Assessment · January 2001

This meta-analysis synthesizes a century of research to clarify how the Big Five traits drive career success. The findings confirm that Conscientiousness is the most consistent predictor of high performance across all jobs. While Emotional Stability also generally predicts strong work habits, tra...